Two Germans, a Spaniard, an Armenian and a French- we look at 5 players whom Liverpool could have signed instead of Mane.

Liverpool are on the verge of completing their 3rd transfer of the summer transfer window. Having secured the services of Joel Matip and Loris Karius, Jurgen Klopp is set to bring Southampton’s Sadio Mane to Anfield in a deal believed to be in the region of £34 million.

While the former Red Bulls man might be touted to be a sound buy by many, many believe that the transfer committee at Liverpool could have done better, given the other options available as well as the areas in which the side has been found lacking in recent times.

Here are 5 players we believe who could have been a better signing than Mane for us.

#1 Leroy Sane

Leroy Sane has impressed all with his performances at Schalke

The German has been in impressive form since stepping into the Schalke first team squad and has been constantly linked with the Reds. He is good in movement on and off the ball and has shown great link up play with his teammates. The 20-year-old scored 8 goals and created 28 chances in the Bundesliga last season and was key to the side finishing in a respectable 5th position.

Sane is efficient with his passing, has shown great acceleration as well as dribbling ability and most importantly has a good understanding of the game for a player of his age.

When compared to Mane, he completed more take-ons, was frequent and efficient getting into duels and recorded a higher number of assists ( 7 compared to Mane’s 6, despite playing lesser minutes). Like Mane, Sane is a powerhouse and can often beat defenders with his ably supported by his strength.

While he might not have gotten more goals than Mane, he is still a work in progress and could mould into a better attacking threat than Mane in a year or two. In Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool have a manager who can nurture raw talent and the Schalke player could have benefitted from the German’s knowledge of the game.